John C. Powell

Cdr. John C. Powell USN Ret. passed away peacefully at Newport Hospital on December 11th. He was 89. Cdr Powell resided in Middletown and wintered in West Palm Beach, Florida since 1994. He leaves his beloved wife Margaret Powell of Middletown, his daughter Barbara Powell Keeley of Miami FL, sons Peter C. Powell of Sausalito CA, Matthew L. Powell of Middletown, J. Christopher Powell and his wife Candace of Jamestown, and grandchildren Marissa C. Corda of Miami, FL and Tyler Lane of New Port Richey, FL. He leaves a brother A. Vern Powell and his wife Melba of Mt. View, CA and brother Lawrence Powell and wife Mona of Petaluma, CA. His brother Charles Ross, sister Marie Laury of Chula Vista, CA, and his first wife Catherine, mother of his children, predeceased him.Born in Shawnee OK in 1919, Commander Powell joined the US Navy in 1937, serving 33 years until his retirement in 1970. He was a Mustang, having joined as enlisted, and worked his way up the ranks to receive his commission as Ensign in 1946. He completed the US Navy Five Term Program at the University of Nebraska in 1949. During WWII he was serving on the heavy cruiser USS Astoria when it was sunk by the Japanese in the Battle of SAVO Island in the Pacific. He participated in the Battles of the Coral Sea, Battle of Midway and the Occupation of Guadalcanal. He also saw combat during the Korean Conflict. During his long career he served on the USS Cascade, USS Wren, USS Sigsbee, USS Kimberly, USS Acadia and USS Dennis J. Buckley. He was Commanding Officer on the USS LSMR 527, USS Glennon, and USS Bristol, and served as Executive Officer on the USS Beatty and USS Willis A Lee. He participated in the Cuban Blockage, and his ship was on the spacecraft recovery team for Project Mercury in 1962. He served as Battalion Officer at the Officer Candidate School in Newport and in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington DC. His last tour of duty prior to his retirement was as Administrative Officer at the Boston Naval Shipyard. He was decorated with The Good Conduct Medal 1 Star, Occupation Medal Japan, National Defense Service Medal, American Defense Fleet Clasp, Victory Medal, Navy Expeditionary Medal, American Theatre Medal, United Nations Medal Korea, Asiatic-Pacific Theatre 6 Stars and Korean Service Medal 2 Stars. Recently he completed an oral history on the Battle of Midway for the Naval War College archives.His life long passion for airplanes followed many paths. As a child he began building model airplanes from chunks of wood. He taught himself to fly by trial and error after he and high school friends rebuilt a Longster plane in 1936. In 1959 he began building his first full size airplane in his garage in Middletown. The single-seat Baby Ace airplane was completed in 1960 and flew to many air shows around the country. In 1960, John and his plane appeared in Look magazine in a two-page photo for a fashion article shot in Newport. In 1970 he completed the two-seat Acey Deucy, a biplane he designed and built over three years. Acey Deucy also flew to many air shows around the country. Both planes are still flying today. He was an active member of the Experimental Aircraft Association for many years. In his later years he built and flew radio-controlled airplanes.His talents were not limited to building airplanes. In the 1960s he built a fifteen-foot sailboat in the Navy hobby shop and handmade all the sails. He taught his children about the sea and how to sail, inspiring them in their life long passion for the ocean and sailing. He also enjoyed traveling, for the past 30 years he traveled from coast to coast to visit friends and family. He also visited Russia, China, Australia and Hawaii. Cdr. Powell also assisted in organizing Ships Reunions and attended many during his time in Middletown and in Florida. His reunions with USS Astoria crewmembers were especially bittersweet. His experiences at Midway and throughout his career in the Navy will soon be documented and archived at the Naval War College. Recently John and his wife Peg donated to the City of Newport a large blue spruce from their yard in Middletown for this years Christmas tree located on Washington Square. He was a man for all seasons.In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Experimental Aircraft Associations Scholarships or Youth Programs, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, www.eaa.org, or to the charity of your choice. Calling hours will be held Thursday, December 18th from 1:00-4:00PM at Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with a memorial service to be held Thursday at 3:30pm in the funeral home. Burial with military honors will take place at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia at a later date.